


I guess this is home

by marasahana



Series: it's the choices that we make: where the roads take us. [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, M/M, Minor Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Minor Park Jisung/Zhong Chen Le, Not Beta Read, less focus on the ships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:08:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29368260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marasahana/pseuds/marasahana
Summary: Jeno and Jaemin take Renjun back to the family he thought he had lost.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Series: it's the choices that we make: where the roads take us. [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2156169
Comments: 6
Kudos: 66





	I guess this is home

**Author's Note:**

> hello! so this short work is not a sequel nor an epilogue but rather a side-story to my work "it's the choices that we make."
> 
> frankly, this is one of the side stories I've already planned in my head even before I finished itctwm. I just know that this story is bound to see the light of the day, and here it is!
> 
> this story takes place at least 2-3 months after the story, which is coincidentally the same amount of time since I posted the fic as well! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy the story!
> 
> playlist:  
> Little Wonders - Rob Thomas  
> Ride Home - Ben&Ben  
> Daughter - Sleeping at Last
> 
> not beta read!

Renjun slices through the fresh strawberries he bought from their local grocery near the cafe yesterday, water still dripping on them after being washed in the faucet. A few feet away from the kitchen, he can hear Shuixian's tiny footsteps in her bedroom (even though she rarely sleeps on them, still opting to sleep with his father) as well as the doors of her closets and cabinets opening and closing. Renjun yells a "Don't make too much mess, sunshine!" towards Shuixian's bedroom in which he receives a reply of "Ok, Papa!". Faint sounds of the TV playing Shuixian's favorite show also echoed in the small but packed apartment of the small family.

Everything in Renjun's life has been going stable nowadays. The cafe has been doing really great, with their newest addition to the menu hitting it off pretty well to their regulars and also to newcomers that Renjun is almost sure would be visiting their business quite often anytime soon. Summer is also almost ending as the month of June has passed by in a flash and Renjun now has to think of which school he should enroll Shuixian, Renjun counts in his head how many choices he has as he places the freshly cut fruits on the small cutely designed square tupperware beside the chopping board.

The little footsteps he's heard to be faint now grow louder and louder, seemingly approaching the kitchen. Renjun smiles and turns around as he hears giggles on his back and surely enough, he sees Shuixian in a pretty white summer dress they bought whilst visiting his parents in China a year or so ago. Shuixian does a little twirl in front of her papa. "What do you think, papa?"

 _How could I have been so lucky,_ Renjun echoes in his head as he gives Shuixian a pearly smile before wiping his hands on the towel hung on one of the kitchen cabinets, crouching down and opening his arms towards Shuixian. The little girl wastes no time to run into her father's arms, giggling as she did so. Renjun gives his daughter a peck on her cheeks.

"Great choice, sunshine! Did you put back all the clothes in the closet?"

"Yes, papa!"

"Good girl. Now can you bring the pink backpack to the living room? The one we prepared last night?"

Shuixian squeaks out an 'okay!' in between her grins as she hops her way back to her bedroom, Renjun can't help but snicker at her daughter's excitement. He turns back to discard the knife and chopping board into the sink, a chore he decides he will deal with when they come back home late in the night. He washes his hands and closes the small tupperware as he brings it to the living room along with a mini water bottle that could fit in Shuixian's backpack.

When he comes back to the kitchen this time, Renjun closes a bigger tupperware, one that was filled with sweet and sour pork fillet that he cooked along with the lunch he and Shuixian had earlier. Renjun touches the sides to check its temperature, the warmth feeling synonymous to the quick beating of his heart and the slight redness of his cheeks. And yet despite the warmth, Renjun cannot ignore either the waves passively crashing on the pit of his stomach with every minute passing by. He breathes out a sigh.

Cooking sweet and sour pork fillet was a specialty he has been carrying ever since his high school years and everyone who has tasted it fell in love with it. As Renjun ties the clothing that he has used to envelop the container, a thin smile passes within his lips. He hopes the taste of his dish hasn't changed since.

When he goes back to the living room now with the dish in his hand, Renjun sees Shuixian sitting on the sofa with her legs swinging in the air, her pink backpack now sitting between her body and Renjun's small sling bag. Renjun places the dish on the coffee table and proceeds to do last minute touches such as placing Shuixian's snacks and water to her backpack, and tying Shuixian's hair. As he ties the last loop of Shuixian's hair, the little girl turns to her father. "Papa, where are we going?" Renjun can only smile knowingly and run his hand to her daughter's hair. "You'll see."

The sound of the doorbell catches their attention and it takes at least two steps for Renjun to head to the door and open it, revealing Jeno and Jaemin wearing smiles on their faces that have impossibly grown even larger when Renjun appears in front of them. Renjun mirrors their expression, cheeks rising at the action.

"Hi."

"Hello. Are you both ready?"

Before Renjun could even reply, Shuixian runs to the door as she crashes on Jeno's leg. "Nono, Nana! You're here!"

Jeno immediately crouches down and tickles Shuixian on her sides, the little girl poorly trying to flail on Jeno's arms as giggles escapes on her.

"Good afternoon, princess! Are you ready to have fun?"

"Yes, Nono!"

Renjun turns the TV off and wears his sling bag, carrying the tupperware and Shuixian's backpack in his hands after doing so. Jaemin immediately snatches the wrapped container out of Renjun's hold, startling the other at the sudden action.

"You don't have to, Jaemin." Renjun remarks softly.

"Yeah, but I want to."

A second passes before Renjun releases a small laugh, something Jaemin echoed after. He liked the sound of Renjun's happiness.

Renjun locks their apartment's door as Jeno carries Shuixian into his arms, going ahead of the other two. "Well then, let's go!" he remarked to the little girl he is carrying. The declaration only makes Shuixian slightly raise her hands out of anticipation.

"Yey, a day with Nono and Nana!"

Renjun shivers at the old nicknames, slight cringe as they slip on his daughter's lips but he would be lying if he said he didn't find them cute. Also, how many times does he have to tell Shuixian to call Jeno and Jaemin properly?

"Shuixian, remember? I told you to call them uncles." Renjun lightly scolds Shuixian but the little girl was too busy talking animatedly to Jeno, her hands drawing abstracts in the air as she narrates some story that happened in the cafe yesterday while Jeno enthusiastically listens to her.

"You know we don't mind, Renjun. Jeno and I actually think it's cute." Jaemin grins beside him, the memory of how Shuixian figured out Jeno and Jaemin's old nicknames on her own when Renjun introduced the three of them to each other will always be an amusing tale to tell.

"Jaemin..."

"And besides, we're not that old to be called 'uncles', you know?"

Renjun lightly slaps Jaemin's arms but laughs it off anyway. Jaemin fakes a hurt expression.

"We _are_ old, Jaemin."

"Nana, Papa, what were you laughing about?"

Jaemin grins at Shuixian who is now facing the two. "Nothing, angel. Are you excited?"

"Yeah!"

-

Happiness fills in Jeno and Jaemin's car as Shuixian and Renjun play games on the little girl's phone (more of like Shuixian passionately trying to win, while Renjun just goes along with Shuixian's antics), small cheers and soft laughter coming from the two as they make themselves comfortable in the backseat of the car. Jeno and Jaemin share a glance. A smile grows into their faces before Jeno goes back to focus on the steering wheel while Jaemin goes through his phone in the passenger seat. Some indie music plays softly in the stereo.

It didn't take long for Shuixian to fall asleep in this quite lengthy car ride, but not after consuming her snacks and trying to fight off her drowsiness to enjoy the scenery outside, mumbling whatever she sees by the window. Renjun could have not expected less since it was Shuixian's nap time, but he did find his little girl's mumbling cute. As he softly pats Shuixian whose head is now laying on his lap breathing quietly, the disgusting swirl on the pit of his stomach comes back again, probably even stronger than he can remember. He tries to focus on Shuixian, but fails.

"Hey."

Renjun looks up to see Jaemin looking at him through the rear-view mirror, brows furrowed and a slight pout on his face.

"I know what you're thinking right now. I can see it in the wrinkles in your face."

Renjun makes a face at the comment but sighs after. "I just don't know if they'll be okay with seeing me again."

"Jun-ah, didn't we talk about this already? You'll be fine. Jaem and I are pretty sure they'll be glad to see you." Jeno's gaze towards the road doesn't leave as he tries to reassure the other.

"I know." The soft pats on Shuixian continue at a steady pace. "But still."

When Jeno and Jaemin proposed the idea to Renjun, the latter wasn't sure of it. Everything could go wrong. Worry fills in his veins at the thought of meeting _them_ again. And even though he's longed to see them, there is still that fear, that slight hesitance, that feeling of unpreparedness that holds him back despite knowing that nothing could really prepare him for anything. He tries to convince the other two that whatever they may be planning could only lead to disaster but Jeno and Jaemin could only offer him knowing smiles, reassuring him that everything will be okay. Behind all the worry and the fear, maybe the two are able to see that Renjun _does_ want to see them again. At least that's what Renjun thinks.

Renjun looks out of the window and realizes that they are passing by a park, as he sees different groups of people and ages fill in the space. He focuses on a group of friends lying on grass, as one of them is wearing a birthday hat while the rest are clapping at him. And even though a car window (and a couple of meters away) separates Renjun and this group of friends, he can hear the cheerful voices and joyous melody of their singing. He brings out a smile in his face as the park disappears from his vision.

-

After passing by so many towns and going through lengthy roads, the car finally approaches an unfamiliar house as Jeno lowers his speed. In the front balcony, Renjun spots a slightly worn-out chair and a doormat that kind of faded out from its colors. Renjun finds himself staring at them longer than he should.

He gently shakes Shuixian up, offering her a soft smile in response to her disoriented expression as Jeno tries to park the car.

"We're here, baby."

Renjun proceeds to climb out the car first before helping Shuixian, the little girl sporting a grumbling expression as Renjun carries her out of the automobile, mumbling how she missed out the scenes from their car trip. Renjun holds back a giggle and reassures her that at least they have already arrived, bringing Shuixian back to her mood of giddiness. He carries the dish he has created before closing the car door and holding Shuixian's hand, following the couple who were waiting for them. Unbeknownst to them, Jeno and Jaemin were smiling silently at the small exchange between Renjun and Shuixian.

When they arrived in front, Jeno and Jaemin signal the two to stay behind the door and hide for a little while, maintaining a small distance between. Shuxian looks up to her father but Renjun only smiles and squeezes her hand lightly. Shuixian doesn't understand what her father means, but she trusts him anyway.

A faint "It's open!" can be heard from the inside as soon as the couple knock on the door. Jaemin takes the initiative to swing it open, voices so familiar now ringing clearly into the ears.

"Finally, you're here!"

"How was the trip, hyung?"

It all comes into Renjun like a sudden crash. He feels himself freeze a little inside, the disgusting swirl in his stomach suddenly making his eyes sting a little bit. It's okay, Renjun can hold them back. He gets that sense of something so near yet feels so far, it makes Renjun travel back in time.

He finds himself going back to that local ice cream shop they would always hang out every summer. Sweat covers their skin as they fan themselves from the heat, the smell of sun lingering in the air. If Renjun remembers correctly, the last freezer by the corner got its built-in lights destroyed because he and Donghyuck caused too much trouble and accidentally knocked it off. Renjun thinks the both of them got away from that mess, after noticing that the shop owner wasn't paying attention to them. He remembers the taste of strawberry ice cream and how eating it with a cone would kind of add a biscuit taste to it, consuming it fast in race with the heat. He hears the sound Jisung would make as he vibrates his lips, accompanied by the thumping of Mark's basketball. Renjun remembers thinking how the afternoon sun sucked the life out of them, but would never complain about it.

Shuixian lightly swings their connected hands and Renjun snaps out of it. He takes a glance at Shuixian and then on the door, the walls of the house where the voices can be heard. Renjun stares longingly at them. Then, he grins and breathes out what seems to be a chuckle. He spaces out a little before breaking out a smile. Maybe everything will be alright, Renjun supplies. It's them, after all.

"And so? Where are your 'plus two'? I thought you were bringing extra guests?" He thinks there’s a slight change of the voice, probably due to maturity, but Renjun knows it's still Donghyuck that's talking. He can already see the other raising one of his eyebrows.

Jaemin peeks out of the door to signal Renjun and Shuixian, the older squeezing the little girl's hand.

"Let's go?"

Shuixian beams at her father.

"Hmm!"

Jaemin steps aside from the door, as Renjun slowly appears into the doorview, his upper body slightly tilting to hide his lower body. When he sees the faces he's so engraved in his head, imagining what they looked like now for the past years, sporting first curiosity in their faces before their eyes widen, mouths slightly opening, Renjun finally steps out and stands in front of them fully as Shuixian follows in hand. Renjun wears a smile of what feels like coming home.

The waves that were crashing in his stomach have come full force as Renjun takes slow steps going in but Donghyuck shuts that down as he lets go of the utensils he's been holding, landing on the dinner table. His eyes never leave Renjun as he directs his steps towards the door hurriedly before crashing into Renjun's arms, the impact making Renjun stumble back a little. He accidentally lets go of Shuixian's hand but he doesn't find the time to process that as Donghyuck sobs into his shoulders, the tears landing freely on his shirt while Donghyuck nuzzles into his neck. And Renjun would never deny how he wanted to badly cry at that moment too, especially seeing a tear run on Chenle's cheek and the way Jisung and Mark couldn't close their mouths. But the moment feels too precious, too happy to cry on such a joyous moment.

He sees Chenle make a face before the waterfalls break on his eyes, steps rushing to join Renjun and Donghyuck on the hug. Jisung and Mark make their way towards Renjun slowly, a hint of hesitation still evident and shock still painted on their faces. Renjun catches a glimpse of Jeno and Jaemin. They're wearing a smile of coming home too. Renjun feels a tear or two run on his cheek.

Shuixian eyes the people flocking around his father and the way they hold him so dear. Frankly, Shuixian doesn't understand. She does not know what is going on and why they were crying on his father, but she feels happy somehow. Which Shuixian finds weird. She doesn't feel like smiling, but she knows seeing them is making her happy, the feeling of giddiness in her tummy or what her papa called 'butterflies' is there.

Shuixian looks up to her uncles Jeno and Jaemin, their glassy eyes shining under the ceiling lights. When Jaemin sees her staring at them, he motions her to come over, a tender smile still apparent on his face. Shuixian follows.

"Nana, who are they?"

Jaemin crouches down to Shuixian's level before allowing the smile on his face to grow wide, his cheeks displayed up so high.

"They're your papa's friends! They're our friends too."

Jeno ruffles the little girl's hair.

"They haven't seen each other for a long time. I hope princess is okay with sharing Papa tonight?" Jeno comments teasingly as Shuixian pouts, saying she is already a big girl and that her papa taught her how she can do things by herself. The cheeks that squish to Shuixian's mumbles makes Jaemin coo at the little girl, squeezing them lightly. Embarrassed, Shuixian buries herself into Jaemin's chest. The couple can only laugh at her.

Donghyuck pulls away for a while to stare at Renjun's face, as if he was looking for something in them before pulling him in again in his arms. Renjun can only snicker at the action with a lumped throat. When he does pull away, another set of arms crush his body as Chenle can only mumble _gege_ beneath his breath as he allows himself to drown in Renjun's presence, the older sniffling a giggle, a tear drops on his cheeks. Renjun looks at Jisung, still dazed, and opens the unbusy arm towards him, offering the younger one a one-arm hug. He offers the same to Mark, since they know Chenle probably won't be letting go anytime soon.

Renjun didn't need to hear the words to know. He feels the same anyway.

"Oh my god, Renjun! How are you doing?" Mark remarks as disbelief still lingers in his tone but nonetheless the tender grin is there. Chenle slowly releases Renjun in his arms.

Renjun flashes a heartwarming smile.

"I'm doing well right now. Oh."

He directs his attention to Shuixian as he motions her to come to him with an open hand and a smile so tender, the little girl happily clinging to his side as she holds Renjun's hand. She flashes a smile to Renjun, puffing her cheeks. Renjun withholds a giggle.

"This is my daughter, Shuixian. Please introduce yourself, sunshine."

Shuixian warily eyes the strangers in front of her before she beams them a smile and bows down to show respect.

"Hello! My name is Shuixian. Nice to meet you!"

A certain glint in the eyes of others flash for a split second before cooing at the young child, as Haechan crouches down to high-five with Shuixian with a big grin on his face and Chenle playfully asking the little girl how old she is in which Shuixian answers enthusiastically.

Mark directs his attention to the couple a few steps away from them, but Jeno and Jaemin were only giving Shuixian warm loving smiles, eyes filled with adoration.

-

Renjun learns that Mark and Donghyuck now have two children: Eunkyung and her little brother Juwon. When they bought this house, Mark and Donghyuck already knew in the back of their head that they were destined to adopt kids making Renjun laugh in the back of his head. _It's such a Mark and Donghyuck thing to think like that,_ he remarks to himself.

Jisung and Chenle started dating around two years ago, after dancing around each other for so long. Renjun mentally rolls his eyes on that. Nonetheless, he finds himself laughing as Donghyuck recounts the story to him when they were waiting for Renjun's sweet and sour pork fillet being reheated in the microwave, the classic lively retelling of the other never fails to make the story much better, Renjun reminds to no one in particular.

The dining table becomes lively as stories are told in between food that is shared, a feeling of comfort lingering in the air. While Renjun places a piece of chicken on Shuixian's plate, Chenle converses with her daughter in Chinese despite Renjun being stuck in between the two (he has a feeling Chenle will be one Shuixian's favorite uncles in the future).

While chewing the rice in her mouth, Shuixian feels someone poke her cheeks lightly. Slightly surprised, she turns to her side and sees her uncle Nana smiling at her. "Enjoying the food, angel?"

Shuixian smiles back and enthusiastically nods at Jaemin, still chewing at her food. _How are you so cute,_ Jaemin coos in his head as he admires the little girl.

Jeno from Jaemin's other side chimes in and bends himself towards Shuixian's direction, a playful smile on his face. "Princess, you've got playmates! Are you excited?"

The little girl can only blush in her uncle's attempt to fluster her with the idea of meeting new friends, which unfortunately for Shuixian, turned out to be successful. Jaemin sees through this and joins the teasing, a grin plastered on his face as he mischievously eyes the two other kids from the other side of the table. "Oh, is our angel shy? Do you want me to call them?"

The statement makes Shuixian widen her eyes and wiggle in her seat, a sign of her protest. Jeno and Jaemin can only laugh and coo at Shuixian's cuteness. It's one of the things she got from Renjun.

Renjun notices the commotion on his side and joins in the conversation, curiously asking her daughter what they were talking about. Shuixian finds defense from her father as she swallows her food and complains about Jeno and Jaemin's teasing, hugging Renjun along the words. Perplexed, Renjun squints at the couple first before silently laughing with them, patting his daughter's head along the way.

Donghyuck, who was sitting in front of them, witnesses and observes the whole exchange. He stares at them for a while before taking a sip on his soup, a smile hides as his lips touch the spoon.

-

Once the dinner affair is over, the three kids have bolted into the shared bedroom of Eunkyung and Juwon to play, leaving the adults to remain in the living room as they catch up on their different lives, sipping on hot coffee and tea with some sweet cookies on the sides. This time, they hear Renjun's life, how he had Shuixian, and how coincidentally Jeno and Jaemin live in the same town as his' ("Oh my god I hope my cookies didn't disappoint you and have reached your cafe-level status. Which I'm sure they did, maybe even better." Donghyuck playfully teases Renjun into which he was responded with a light slap on his arms. Laughter ensues.)

As he slowly tunes out, Chenle talking about a dilemma in his workplace, Renjun leans back and slowly digests everything. It all feels so natural, the way they listen to each other and flow into conversations. It was in the way Mark leans his arms towards the sofa to support his head while Jisung absentmindedly uses his hands to explain his story, or how Jaemin leans in to be attentive to Chenle's words, eyes shimmering as the younger looks up to the ceiling to think of the proper words to say. It just...has always been there.

And even though he might have felt like he has so much to catch up, learn in the years he has lost, even though there are still so many things he has to tell them, uncover each blanket of the past before they see the truth, Renjun couldn't be any better. _This_ is where he feels like he's supposed to be.

-

It didn't take long until night had gone too long and it was time to leave. Shuixian approaching Renjun rubbing on her eyes after an energetic session of playing hide-and-seek with Eunkyung and Juwon was also another sign that they should go home.

Jeno, Jaemin, Renjun, and Shuixian bid goodbye first, seeing as they live several towns away from Mark and Donghyuck's home. On the doorstep as he slowly puts in his shoes without the help of his hands since he was carrying a sleepy Shuixian in his arms, Renjun hears Donghyuck calls his name.

"I'll make sure to visit your cafe once in a while. Make sure to welcome me."

A certain glint in Donghyuck's eyes sparkles. Renjun stares longingly at them before breaking out a secure smile, his eyes returning the glint.

"You don't have to worry about that."

_Welcome home._

-

Soft footsteps echo in the silent hallways of the building as three bodies make their way to Renjun and Shuixian's apartment. Once they reach the doorstep, Renjun turns on his heel and faces Jeno and Jaemin. The couple offers him a soft smile.

"Thank you for everything. From convincing me to meet them again, to just simply reassuring me that everything will be fine. I,"

Renjun pauses.

"I'm just so thankful to you two."

Something lingers in their eyes before Jeno reaches out for Renjun's free hand.

"You don't have to thank us, Renjun."

"Jeno's right, Renjun. We just brought you back to where you belong." Jaemin softly runs his hand to Shuixian's back, currently sleeping in her father's arms.

Renjun feels the warmth in Jeno's hand as he runs circles on the back of Renjun's palm with his thumb. He hears Shuixian make a contented hum with Jaemin's comforting touch.

Renjun looks at the both of them in the eyes. He finds it hard not to look away from them.

The moon is illuminating at the three of them brightly as they treasure the cold breeze this summer night. They find themselves surprisingly warm.

There are so many things that need to be said, but Renjun chooses not to say anything. It is not yet time, and that's okay. He knows Jaemin and Jeno feel the same way.

And so, Renjun gives them a smile. Jeno and Jaemin understand.

They both let go of Renjun and Shuixian as they bid goodbye, smiles of _see you soon_ etched on their faces as Renjun unlocks the door and enters their home.

**Author's Note:**

> tl;dr renjun met the rest of the squad again.
> 
> and thank you for taking the time to read this (please spare a kudo and a comment if you enjoyed it)! I've been exploring my writing skills so if this is quite different with itctwm, that is the reason. writing this fic kind of made me emotional too, since it felt like I was finally giving renjun what he deserved. 
> 
> I have other side stories for itctwm that are short and similar to this one, but I think it will be a while before those stories will be unwrapped and shown to the world. 
> 
> until then, see you all next time.
> 
> twt: marasahana  
> cc: stepintothesun


End file.
